Peanut Butter Ghosts
by Tonkswyrda
Summary: When Tonks doesnt return with the rest after an order mission, It all seems lost for Remus. and then he sees a ghost stealing his peanut butter... written for DarthDumbledore!


**A/N: this fic is for my awesome friend, DarthDumbledore, who gave me the idea =) you rock, Darth!**

Remus sat in the Kitchen of the burrow, waiting anxiously for the rest of the order to arrive. Glancing out the window for perhaps the tenth time that minute, he saw the dark sky was still empty of any sign of their arrival. Turning to Moody, he scowled to himself. This had all been his idea. He was the one who had suggested she would be up for the job. He was the one who had pushed her to do something and get out. And Remus was sure she'd take his words to heart, and mindlessly throw herself into the thick of the action. It was the kind of thing Dora did.

Standing, he started to pace.

This separation he'd forced her into wasn't working out for either of them. She was obviously depressed, and he found himself dwelling on this fact more and more as of late. They were both unhappy- was it really worth it in the long run? Surely she knew what she'd been getting herself into with him?

Sighing, Remus looked out the window again. A figure was moving outside.

Running to the door, he flung it open, to see a small band of them traipsing up to the door, tired and dirty, with Kingsley in the lead. Remus craned his neck as they passed him, Kingsley stopping just inside- he couldn't see her.

"Where is she?" He muttered to himself, frowning.

"Remus?"

He turned, to see a grave looking Kingsley, with a long cut down the side of his head. "We… we couldn't find her, Remus."

His heart sank to his boots. He couldn't be serious… she wasn't… was she?"

"You mean she-" he choked- the last word wouldn't come out.

Kingsley shrugged as Molly handed him a cloth to hold to his bloodied head. "She might not be… but…"

Nodding, Remus looked away. This couldn't be happening… Dora was an auror, she didn't die…

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked dazedly. He could feel everyone in the room starring at him- feeling sorry for him, he bet. Everyone he loved died. This was why he should stop altogether… love wasn't his forte, it seemed.

"Pray." Kingsley murmured. "And hope like hell that girl's smart enough to get herself out of there… if she's still…" Kingsley pursed his lips, turning away.

Muttering something about going home, Remus left, walking numbly past the anti-apparation barrier, and turning on the spot. As soon as he got inside his small, run down cottage, he sunk to his knees. That was it. She was gone.

And he hadn't had a chance to tell her.

Eventually he managed to pull himself to bed, where he fell on top of the covers, and fell into a troubled sleep, fully clothed.

It hit hard again when he woke up.

Quickly flinging his clothes off, he stepped into the hot shower, letting the water mix with his tears, until he didn't even know if he was crying or not. He didn't know how long he stood under the steaming spray, only that by the end of it he was numb. As he stepped out and wrapped a towel around himself, he watched the heat rise from his arms. Opening the door, he froze.

The Weird Sisters were playing over the radio.

His legs shook, and he swiftly turned to lean on the sink, taking deep breaths. Of course they would be playing, just to make his life that much better… taking another shaky breath, he wiped the fog off the mirror.

He looked terrible. He hadn't shaved in a while, and the brown stubble stood out against his shockingly white face. His eyes were red, with big bags under them. All in all, he was an absolute wreck. He almost looked as if he were the dead one.

Looking away, he splashed his face with cold water, hoping to return the colour to his cheeks. Looking at himself in the mirror again, he almost screamed. He wasn't alone.

She was standing behind him- an amused look on her face, his jar of peanut butter in one hand, a chunk of it on the finger of the other, which was raised to her mouth. He could have slapped himself- now he was seeing bloody ghosts!

He reached out and touched her face on the cool surface of the mirror. Her amused expression became confused.

"Remus, are you okay?"

He spun around, heart beating loudly in his ears. She wasn't dead. She was alive, and she was standing in front of him.

All he could manage was "huyourlive?"

She raised an eyebrow, licking the peanut butter off her finger. "Are you on something?"

He shook his head. "I… after last night… we thought you were dead!"

To his surprise, she laughed. "Honestly, Kingsley can be pretty thick then. I told him I'd meet up with him later… I went and followed some of the ones who tried to run away," she explained. "They didn't get far." Grinning, she dipped her finger in the peanut butter jar again. "So I thought I'd just come here after I saw Kingsley… you were in the shower though, so I put the weird sisters tour on and grabbed the peanut butter… hope you don't mind."

"No… not at all…" Grinning, Remus let out a sigh of relief. She was okay. It would all be okay.

Tonks smirked. "Nice towel. Are you planning on wearing anything else today?"

Remus shrugged, smirking back. "I'm not really sure yet. I was just thinking that if you came back as a ghost, you'd be just the type who'd haunt me and steal my peanut butter."

She elbowed him playfully as he left the bathroom. "That's my aim in life. Or rather in death… either way, I'm stealing your peanut butter!" looking critically at the brown lump on her finger, she shrugged and wiped it on his chest. He frowned.

"You're going to have to get that off, you know."

"Oh I know."

**Read, review, and enjoy the fluffy ending!!!**


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